A Help for the Understanding of the Holy Scriptures, Exodus · Chapter 23
CHAP. XXIII.
Verſ. 1. THou ſhalt not raiſe a falſe report.]
Some reade this clauſe as it is in the margin, Thou ſhall not receive a falſe report: The word in the originall will bear both interpretations: and indeed if it be a ſinne to raiſe, that is, to be the firſt authour of a falſe report; then muſt it needs be alſo a ſinne to receive ſuch a report, and ſo to carry it and ſpread it abroad amongſt others.
Put not thine hand with the wicked to be an unrighteous witneſſe.]
That is, afford not thine help and aid to thoſe that combine themſelves together to accuſe any man falſely before a magiſtrate; for he that lends a helping hand to the furtherance of any ſuch wickedneſſe may in that ſenſe be ſaid to put his hand to it. Yet becauſe it is manifeſt that the Lord here ſpeaks of helping by bearing falſe witneſſe, it may well be that this phraſe, put not thine hand, may be uſed here with reference to that ancient rite of mens putting forth their hand to lay it upon ſomething when they were to take an oath, as Abrahams ſervant put his hand upon his maſters thigh, Gen. 24. 2. and as we uſe to lay our hands upon a Bible when we ſwear.
Verſ. 2. Neither ſhalt thou ſpeak in a cauſe to decline after many to wreſt judgement.]
That is, neither muſt the judge reſpect the multitude of the parties friends upon whom ſentence is to paſſe; nor the multitude of the judges that conſent to wrong judgement; nor muſt witneſſes, or any other, either for fear or favour of the many oppoſe the truth.
Verſ. 4. If thou meet with thine enemies ox, or his aſſe agoing astray, thou ſhalt ſurely bring it back to him.]
This is alſo meant of bringing home any other thing that is loſt. Deut. 22. 3. In like manner thou ſhalt do with his aſſe, and ſo ſhalt thou do with his raiment, and with all things of thy brothers which he hath lost, &c.
Verſ. 5. If thou ſee the aſſe of him that hateth thee lying under his burden, &c.]
This is alſo meant of relieving the cattel any way endangered.
Verſ. 7. Keep thee farre from a falſe matter, &c.]
Though all lying be ſinnefull, and may be here implicitely forbidden; yet I conceive that which is here directly and principally forbidden, is lying in or at the ſeat of juſtice, as is manifeſt by the following clauſe, and the innocent and righteous ſlay thou not; which muſt needs be meant of innocent mens being put to death by means of unrighteous judgement: ſo that the principall thing intended in this Law is, that judges ſhould be marvellous ſhy either to admit of a falſe teſtimony from others, or to give falſe judgement themſelves eſpecially when it is againſt the life of a man.
For I will not juſtifie the wicked.]
Theſe words imply two reaſons, why judges muſt take heed of falſe judgement, and of condemning the innocent and righteous. 1. Becauſe the judge is not to do in Gods name what the Lord will not do; and God will not juſtifie the wicked and ſo condemne the righteous: 2. Becauſe the Lord will not juſtifie ſuch wicked judges, as condemne the righteous, when they come before his Tribunal.
Verſ. 11. But the ſeventh year thou ſhalt let it reſt and lie ſtill.]
That is, neither plow it, nor ſow it, nor gather thoſe fruits which ſhould this year grow of themſelves: for ſo we find this Law more fully expreſſed, Levit. 25. 20. And if ye ſhall ſay, What ſhall we eat the ſeventh year? Behold we ſhall not ſow, &c. Where their diſtruſt of want of food is anſwered with a promiſe that in the ſixth year the Lord would cauſe the earth to yield enough for three years; Then will I command my bleſſing upon you in the ſixth year, and it ſhall bring forth fruit for three years. Now God appointed this Sabbath year, firſt to give reſt to the land (and it was a ſigne of a very fruitfull countrey if it lay fallow but once in ſeven years) ſecondly, to give reſt to the ſervants, who had by this much …aſe every ſeventh year; Thirdly to provide for the poore, who now gathered freely of the fruit of every mans ground for their preſent uſe, and this was given to the Lord who gave them the land; Fourthly, that they all might have the more liberty to exce…ciſe themſelves in holy things, as the learning of the Law, which was this year with more then ordinary ſolemnity to be read in the audience of all the people, Deut. 31. 10, 11, 12. And Moſes commanded them, ſaying, At the end of every ſeven years thou ſhalt reade this Law before all Iſrael, &c. And fifthly, that it might be a memor…all of the creation and Gods reſt on the ſeventh day, and a ſhadow of our reſt in Chriſt, and that the reſt of the land might teach how exact God is in requiring his Sabbaths.
That the poore of thy people may eat.]
Namely ſuch corn as grew this year of it own accord (as it uſed to do in ſome good ſtore in thoſe countreys) of the grains ſcattered in the former harveſt, as alſo the fruit of their vineyards, and oliveyards, &c. and of this the owners might eat as well as the poore, Levit. 25. 6. And the Sabbath of the land ſhall be meat for you, for thee and for thy ſervant, &c. though they might not gather and ſtore it up.
Verſ. 12. Six dayes thou ſhalt do thy work, and on the ſeventh day thou ſhalt reſt, &c.]
One reaſon of repeating this Law here may be well thought to be this, to let them know that they were not exempted from the peculiar ſanctifying of the ſeventh day on this Sabbath y…ar, but were rather bound more religiouſly to keep it holy; and alſo beſides by placing it amongſt the judiciall Laws, the magiſtrate was enjoyned to ſee that it was kept.
Verſ. 13. And make no mention of the names of other gods, &c.]
That is, let them be ſo abominable to you, that you may deteſt to make any mention of them, that it may be irkſome to you to name them or hear them named. We muſt not think that it was to the Iſraelites or is to us a breach of this Law any way or upon any occaſion to name the gods of the heathens, for we ſee they are often named in the Scripture. The meaning of this Law we may gather from that place of the Apoſtle, Eph. 5. 3. But fornication and all uncleanneſſe or covetouſneſſe let it not be once named amongst you. For as the Apoſtles meaning there is onelyonly that thoſe horrid ſinnes ſhould be an abomination to them; ſo here the Lords meaning is onelyonly that they ſhould abhorre all falſe gods ſo as to d…teſt their very names, and of this deteſtation of Idols is that ſpoken, Hoſ. 2. 17. I will take away the names of Baalim out of her mouth, and they ſhall no more be remembred by their name.
Verſ. 15. And none ſhall appear before me empty.]
To wit, at the feaſt of unleavened bread, and ſo alſo at neither of the three feaſts, whereon they were all bound to appear before the Lord. See Deut. 16. 16, 17.
Verſ. 16. And the feaſt of harveſt.]
Called alſo the feast of weeks, or, of ſevens, Exod. 34. 22. And thou ſhalt obſerve the feast of weeks, &c. To wit, becauſe it was ſeven weeks after the former feaſt, upon the fiftieth day following, called thereupon Pentecoſt; and it was celebrated not onelyonly in remembrance of the giving of the Law, which was given the fiftieth day after their going out of Egypt, but alſo by way of thanksgiving for their harveſt: and therefore the firſt bread or loaves of the new fruit was then offered, Levit. 23. 16, 17. Even unto the morrow after the ſeventh Sabbath ſhall ye number fifty dayes, &c. Ye ſhall bring out of your habitations two loaves, &c. as in the end of the Paſſeover, the firſt eares of corn.
And the feast of in-gathering, which is in the end of the year, &c.]
The feaſt of in-gathering, to wit of all the fruits, not onelyonly corn which was before inned, but all other fruits, as wine, and olives, &c. It was alſo called the feast of boothes, or, of tabernacles, Levit. 23. 24. The fifteenth day of this ſeventh monethmonth ſhall be a feast of tabernacles, &c. and the time allotted for this feaſt is ſaid here to be in the end of the year, becauſe though Abib was appointed to be the firſt monethmonth for the computation of thoſe things that concerned religion, as their holy fea…ts, &c. yet the monethmonth Tiſri, the ſeventh in this account, was yet the firſt monethmonth for their civill affairs; and ſo the feaſt of tabernacles being kept in this monethmonth, when one year was ended and another began, therefore it is ſaid to be in the end of the year. Now this feaſt was kept, firſt in remembrance of Gods favour to them in the wilderneſſe, when they dwelt in boothes, Levit. 23. 43. I made the children of Iſrael to dwell in boothes, when I brought them out of Egypt, &c. And ſecondly, to ſhew their thankfulneſſe for the fruits which in this monethmonth they reaped, Deut. 16. 13, 14. Thou ſhalt obſerve the feast of tabernacles ſeven dayes after thou hast gathered in thy corn, and thy wine: And thou ſhalt rejoyce in thy feast, &c. And thirdly, to figure out Chriſts coming into the world at this time of the year, to dwell in the tabernacle of our fleſh, John 1. 14. And the Word was made fleſh, and dwelt among us, &c. and their being ſtrangers and travellers here in this world.
Verſ. 17. Three times in the year all thy males ſhall appear before the Lord thy God.]
That is, at the three great feaſts before mentioned, the feaſt of unleavened bread, the feaſt of harveſt or Pentecoſt, and the feaſt of in-gathering, called alſo the feaſt of tabernacles; then all the males were enjoyned to appear before the Lord, and that in the place which he ſhould chooſe, Deut. 16. 16. namely, all that were able: for thoſe that were ſick, infants and aged men, were doubtleſſe excuſed. And though onelyonly the males were by this law tyed to this ſervice, becauſe women had many occaſions to keep them at home; yet even the women might if they pleaſed go up unto theſe feaſts, and often doubtleſſe did: for ſo it is ſa…d of Hannah, the mother of Samuel, 1. Sam. 2. 19. She came up with her husband to offer the yearly ſacrifice; and of the virgin Mary, Luke 2. 41. Now his parents went to Jeruſalem every year at the feast of the Paſſeover. As for the place where they met together, it was doubtleſſe firſt the tabernacle, and afterward the temple; becauſe there God dwelt, as it were, amongſt his people; and therefore there it is ſaid they ſhould appear before the Lord. And though it may ſeem ſomewhat queſtionable where they met to keep theſe feaſts, all the time the ark was in one place and the tabernacle in another (as it was for many years after the ark was taken and carried away by the Philiſtines) yet upon good conſideration I think we may well conclude that they were kept where the tabernacle was, becauſe there was the altar of burnt-offerings, and the offering of ſacrifices was a main part of the holy ſervice of theſe feaſts.
Verſ. 18. Thou ſhalt not offer the bloud of thy ſacrifice with leavened bread, &c.]
Becauſe the very ſame words almoſt are repeated Exod. 34. 25. onelyonly there the Paſſeover is expreſſely mentioned, Thou ſhalt not offer the bloud of my ſacrifice with leaven, neither ſhall the ſacrifice of the feast of the Paſſeover be left unto the morning; therefore the moſt and beſt Expoſitours do underſtand this place particularly of the Paſchall Lambe, to wit, that they might not eat any leavened bread with the Paſſeover, and that they might not leave any part of the Paſchall Lambe untill the morning; the fat being here by a Synecdoche put for all, and ſpecially mentioned, becauſe this in all ſacrifices was offered to God. Yet I ſee not why this place may not be underſtood generally of all ſacrifices; ſince it is evident, firſt, that leaven was forbidden in all meat-offerings, which were alwayes offered together with their ſacrifices: Levit. 2. 11. No meat-offering which ye ſhall bring unto the Lord ſhall be made with leaven; for ye ſhall burn no leaven, nor any honey in any offering of the Lord made by fire. And ſecondly, that though the fleſh of ſome ſacrifices might be eaten the next day, yet the fat thereof was to be preſently burnt upon the altar. See Levit. 7. 2, 3.
Verſ. 19. Thou ſhalt not ſeethe a kid in his mothers milk.]
Either this muſt be literally underſtood according to the very words, that they might not ſeethe a kid, or a lambe, &c. in the milk of the damme, becauſe this had ſome appearance of cruelty, which the Lord by this ceremony taught them to abhorre; and indeed upon the ſame ground other like laws were given this people, as Deut. 22. 6, 7. If a birds nest chance to be before thee in the way, &c. thou ſhalt not take the damme with the young. Or elſe rather it muſt be underſtood concerning the age of the kid, to wit, that they might not offer a kid to the Lord, or eat it themſelves, whileſt the fleſh was onelyonly …erely a milky frothy ſubſtance, thereby to teach them to avoid all fooliſh intemperancie and delicacie in their feeding: and upon this ground they were forbidden to bring the firſt-born of their cattel, or any other ſacrifice, till they were eight dayes old; becauſe ſo long they were but as the dammes milk.
Verſ. 20. Behold I ſend an Angel before thee, to keep thee in the way, &c.]
That is, the promiſed Meſſiah, the ſonne of God, and Angel of the covenant, Mal. 3. 1. Who led them by day in the pillar of a cloud, and by night in a pillar of fire, and at laſt brought them into the land of Canaan; of whom it is ſaid, 1. Cor. 10. 9. that the Iſraclites in the wilderneſſe tempted him, and ſo were juſtly deſtroyed by him, therein finding that verified which the Lord here ſaith, verſ. 21. that he would not pardon their tranſgreſſions.
Verſ. 21. For my name is in him.]
That is, he is the Lord Jehovah as I am, of the ſame Eſſence, Power, Majeſty, and Authority: for ſo it is ſaid of Chriſt, Heb. 1. 3. that he was the brightneſſe of his Fathers glory, and the expreſſe image of his perſon, and one God with him, The Father is in me, and I in him, ſaith Chriſt, John 10. 38. God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himſelf, ſaith the Apoſtle, 2. Cor. 5. 19. And ſo it was prophecied of him, Jer. 23. 6. This is his name whereby he ſhall be called, The Lord our righteouſneſſe.
Verſ. 28. And I will ſend hornets before thee, &c.]
This may be meant of ſtinging terrours, wherewith God ſtruck the hearts of the Canaanites; or it may be underſtood literally of true hornets ſent before the Iſraelites, and the rather, becauſe firſt God had ſpoken of the fear wherewith the Canaanites ſhould be ſtricken in the former verſe; and it is not uſuall in the Scripture to expreſſe any thing plainly firſt, and then afterwards figuratively and obſcurely. And ſecondly he tells the Iſraelites that God had done this for them which he had promiſed. See Joſh. 24. 12.
Verſ. 31. And I will ſet thy bounds from the red ſea, &c.]
The bounds of the promiſed land are here ſet down, to wit, firſt their Eaſtern bound, which was the red ſea; and ſecondly the ſea upon which the land of the Philiſtines lay, called the Mediterranean ſea, which was their Weſt border; and thirdly the deſert, which lay on the South of Canaan, to with the deſert of Shur or Paran, which was their South border, on which ſide ran the river of Sychar, Joſh. 13. 3. called the river of Egypt, Gen. 15. 18. for it runs out of Nilus into the Mediterranean ſea: and therefore this alſo is there made the Southern bound; and fourthly the river, which is the great river Euphrates, which was the North bound.